Louvin Brothers

Various artists Livin', Lovin', Losin': Songs of the Louvin Brothers (Universal) The Louvin Brothers were famous in the '50s for their mournful and perfect country songs, and for harmonies that would provide the template for the Everly Brothers, though they've been mostly neglected since. This duets-only tribute album, the Louvins' first, features dead-on pairings of old-line country and bluegrass stars. "Livin'" is determinedly purist, so much so that James...

Bluegrass music and films in the Flemish language are not usually thought of in the same breath, but "The Broken Circle Breakdown" is determined to marry them. The result, not surprisingly, is somewhat mixed. "Broken Circle," Belgium's submission for the foreign language Oscar, gets the music right and has the benefit of strong acting, but its unapologetically melodramatic plot has a tendency to throw everything at you but the kitchen sink. Bluegrass, as its fans know,...

The archetype that governs the life stories of successful musicians, country and bluegrass legends in particular, involves one or more of the following elements: violent father; music career to escape a life picking cotton or mining coal; early mentor/huckster who undeservedly lists himself as co-author of songs to share in royalties. There have been so many variations on this theme that a fresh take would seem impossible. Yet Charlie Louvin managed it. Louvin was a natural storyteller with access to a large...

The archetype that governs the life stories of successful musicians, country and bluegrass legends in particular, involves one or more of the following elements: violent father; music career to escape a life picking cotton or mining coal; early mentor/huckster who undeservedly lists himself as co-author of songs to share in royalties. There have been so many variations on this theme that a fresh take would seem impossible. Yet Charlie Louvin managed it. Louvin was a natural storyteller with access to a large...

The harmonies of Bill and Earl Bolick, the brother duet known as the Blue Sky Boys, blended together in the funeral home chapel where friends and family remembered Bill Bolick last month. The scratchy recording took the mourners back to the years when country music sounded like country music, simple and real. Death of Bill Bolick Bill Bolick died March 13 in Hickory at 90, the last one living of the Blue Sky Boys. His brother Earl died in 1998. They helped develop the...

Dusty Miller Dusty Miller (June Appal) (STAR)(STAR)(STAR) This is a stunningly precocious bluegrass quintet-of expert players and harmony singers in their 20s-who take a varied batch of essentially non-bluegrass material and make it their own. Such songs include the traditional "Cabin in the Corner Of Gloryland," Bob Wills` "Lonesome Hearted Blues," Mel Tillis` "Heart Over Mind" and the Louvin Brothers` "Hoping That You`re Hoping."...

Country Hall of Fame member Charlie Louvin may be older than the guests on his latest, self-titled CD, but he definitely was hip to collaborating with modern voices such as Elvis Costello, Jeff Tweedy and Will Oldham. "I'm familiar with all of them's music and appreciate them for calling it what it is," Louvin says. "The only thing that really tees me off is when people record obvious rock 'n' roll music and call it country." Born in 1927, Louvin began singing with...

A brief Nashville ceremony by the Country Music Association to announce this year's Horizon and Hall of Fame nominees provided interesting comments by the stars making the announcements. The 10 Horizon awards candidates--on whom the CMA membership must vote twice before October--are T. Graham Brown, the Forester Sisters, Vince Gill, Kathy Mattea, Restless Heart, John Schneider, Dan Seals, Randy Travis, Keith Whitley and Dwight Yoakam. Before disclosing the names of the candidates, former Horizon...

Various artists Livin', Lovin', Losin': Songs of the Louvin Brothers (Universal) The Louvin Brothers were famous in the '50s for their mournful and perfect country songs, and for harmonies that would provide the template for the Everly Brothers, though they've been mostly neglected since. This duets-only tribute album, the Louvins' first, features dead-on pairings of old-line country and bluegrass stars. "Livin'" is determinedly purist, so much so that James...

The Byrds many stylistic innovations are best captured by "The Byrds," a four-CD, 90-song retrospective on Columbia/Legacy. Its mix of hits, rarities, live tracks and obscure album cuts provides an often revelatory overview. But collectors on a budget can probably make do with two records: "The Byrds Greatest Hits" (Columbia, 1967) and "Sweetheart of the Rodeo" (Columbia, 1968). The hits collection wraps up the Byrds` most commercial phase, in which they released folk-rock anthems such...

Cake frontman John McCrea envisioned the "Unlimited Sunshine" tour as a response to what he saw as increasingly homogenized festivals, where all bands fell under the same genre. That helps explain the schizophrenic lineup of the second annual "Sunshine" outing. Alongside quirky headliners Cake are classic rock staples Cheap Trick, garage rockers the Detroit Cobras, bluegrass revivalists the Hackensaw Boys and even one bona fide country legend, Charlie Louvin. The show offered...

Brother Boys Plow (Sugar Hill) (STAR)(STAR)(STAR) They describe their own music as "New Hillbilly," a label which could do them a disservice, since many urban listeners might mistakenly dismiss anything "hillybilly" as primitive and toothless. Certainly the music is simple and direct but, at the same time, sophisticated and beautifully executed. Having appeared on Jerry Douglas` "Slide Rule" (Sugar Hill), the Brother Boys bring the same enthusiasm to their...

President Clinton had nice things to say about gay people in a speech to the Human Rights Campaign dinner on Saturday night. So the next morning, a couple of the network chat shows invited on the usual suspects to offer a different perspective. "Where I come down on this issue . . . (is) tolerance," said former vice president Dan Quayle on "Fox News Sunday." "If gays want to live together, that's their business. But there's a difference between tolerance, and approval...

Country Hall of Fame member Charlie Louvin may be older than the guests on his latest, self-titled CD, but he definitely was hip to collaborating with modern voices such as Elvis Costello, Jeff Tweedy and Will Oldham. "I'm familiar with all of them's music and appreciate them for calling it what it is," Louvin says. "The only thing that really tees me off is when people record obvious rock 'n' roll music and call it country." Born in 1927, Louvin began singing with...

Souled American has always been a bit ahead of the curve. Ten years ago, when Chicago's rock scene was dominated by the sound of piercing feedback and punk aggression, Souled American appeared playing a slow, hushed brand of country rock that seemed conceived in another world. It caught the ear of fans and critics here and elsewhere, but when the band's record label folded after releasing three albums, Souled American retreated into semi-obscurity. Today, Chicago is a major hub of alternative country...

Souled American has always been a bit ahead of the curve. Ten years ago, when Chicago's rock scene was dominated by the sound of piercing feedback and punk aggression, Souled American appeared playing a slow, hushed brand of country rock that seemed conceived in another world. It caught the ear of fans and critics here and elsewhere, but when the band's record label folded after releasing three albums, Souled American retreated into semi-obscurity. Today, Chicago is a major hub of alternative country...

Bluegrass music and films in the Flemish language are not usually thought of in the same breath, but "The Broken Circle Breakdown" is determined to marry them. The result, not surprisingly, is somewhat mixed. "Broken Circle," Belgium's submission for the foreign language Oscar, gets the music right and has the benefit of strong acting, but its unapologetically melodramatic plot has a tendency to throw everything at you but the kitchen sink. Bluegrass, as its fans know,...

Brother Boys Plow (Sugar Hill) (STAR)(STAR)(STAR) They describe their own music as "New Hillbilly," a label which could do them a disservice, since many urban listeners might mistakenly dismiss anything "hillybilly" as primitive and toothless. Certainly the music is simple and direct but, at the same time, sophisticated and beautifully executed. Having appeared on Jerry Douglas` "Slide Rule" (Sugar Hill), the Brother Boys bring the same enthusiasm to their...